L-60 Brigadýr (c/n 150507, OK-LKN) and Zlín Z-126 Trenér (c/n 525, OK-DVG, formerly UC-38 of the Czechoslovak Air Force), static display at Točná Airport open doors day / the 3rd Trenér Meeting, Prague, October 2024.
On 12th October 2024, Točná Airport / Letiště Točná in Prague, the Czech Republic, held another edition of its open doors day. This time, the event was organized one week before the 77th anniversary of the first flight of the Zlín Trenér aircraft and combined with the 3rd edition of Trenér Meeting. Therefore, the open day at Točná offered a perfect possibility to see a broad choice of iconic Czechoslovak aircraft.
And exactly two of such legendary aeroplanes were parked side by side at the static display – L-60 Brigadýr utility and liaison aircraft, built in 1957, and Z-126 Trenér training aeroplane from 1950.
The latter aircraft, currently registered as OK-DVG, was manufactured in 1950 as Z-26 Trenér and acquired by the Czechoslovak Air Force. The aeroplane was operated under its military designation Zlín C-5, carrying the identification code UC-38.
In the mid-1950s, the aeroplane was withdrawn from active service. Then it was assigned to Svazarm (English: Union for Cooperation with the Army) paramilitary organization and used for pilots´ training until 1966.
In the early 1970s, the aircraft was acquired by private owner, completely restored to airworthy condition and upgraded to the Z-126 standard. However, it was later again taken over by Svazarm and used by that organization until the late 1980s. Then, after its retirement, the aeroplane was used as a source of spare parts for other Trenér aircraft.
The aeroplane returned to the skies only in 1997, after long-lasting restoration initiated by Aeroklub Příbram. Today, it is the oldest airworthy surviving example of Zlín Trenér aircraft family in the world.
For more information about the Zlín Trenér family please refer to our article from October of 2021 – Made in Czechoslovakia – Zlín Trenér family.
The brief history of development and service of the L-60 aircraft was already included in one of our articles from the Photo of the Week series, issued in August of 2022 – L-60 Brigadýr.
